Samuel Cranston (1659-1727)
}} Biography * 18th Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Samuel Cranston (1659–1727) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the first quarter of the 18th century. He held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times (twice in 1698), and served as governor longer than any other individual in the history of both the colony and the state of Rhode Island. The son of former Rhode Island Governor John Cranston, he was born in Newport and lived there his entire life. Going to sea as a young man, he was captured by pirates, and held captive for several years before returning to his family. Cranston had very little political experience when he was first elected as governor of the colony of Rhode Island upon the resignation of Walter Clarke (1639-1714) (his cousin?) in March 1698. The issues that he dealt with during his first three years in office were so critical, that the continued existence of the Rhode Island colony was at stake. One of the major issues of his early tenure was that of piracy, as many privateers who were active in the recent war with France turned to piracy. The crown wanted piracy stopped, while many colonists were sympathetic to the pirates, and Cranston had to make difficult political decisions to satisfy the home country on this issue. Another ongoing issue was the disputed boundary between the Rhode Island and Connecticut colonies. The Narragansett country was given to both colonies by their respective charters, creating many decades of friction. During Cranston's tenure as governor, the dispute was finally ended, entirely in Rhode Island's favor. The most formidable issue facing the colony began in 1698 with the arrvial of Lord Bellomont as Governor of New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Bellomont took an immediate dislike to the governance of Rhode Island, documenting numerous irregularities in the way it operated, and sending copious documentation to the Board of Trade in England. Bellomont wanted the Rhode Island colony to be removed from its charter, and put under closer royal supervision. He would likely have been successful in his quest, had he not died in 1701. Following Cranston's decisiveness and firmness during the first three years of his tenure, he became extremely popular with the people of the colony, and while virtually every other politician of his era fell by the wayside, he was able to stand the political upheavals of his day, continuing to be elected as Governor every year until his death in 1727. His first wife was Mary Hart, a granddaughter of Roger Williams, and his second wife was the widow of his younger brother, Caleb. Cranston is buried in the Common Burying Ground in Newport, and shares a large marker with his father. Early Life and Ancestry The son of former Rhode Island Governor John Cranston, Cranston was born in Newport in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and lived there his entire life.1 His mother was Mary Clarke, the daughter of an early colonial President, Jeremiah Clarke, and through the Clarkes he descends from King Edward I of England.12 The oldest of ten children, he was educated as a youth, and became a merchant as a young adult, with his trade being that of a goldsmith.1 In 1684, at the age of 24, Cranston became a freeman from Newport.1 Bicknell relates an interesting personal experience Cranston had as a young man. After he was married, he went to sea and was captured by pirates and not heard from for many years.3 Thinking he was dead, his wife arranged to marry a Mr. Russell of Boston. Cranston managed to gain his freedom and made his way back to Newport, arriving the evening of his wife's wedding. He found his wife before the marriage ceremony, and the event was turned into a celebration for his return, with the groom-to-be surrendering his expected bride with good grace.4 Cranston was in his late 30s when he began his political career, becoming an Assistant in 1696.1 Two years later, in 1698, he was chosen as Major for the militia of the island (Portsmouth and Newport), and the same year, with virtually no political experience, he was selected as Governor for the colony, when his brother-in-law, Walter Clarke, resigned from that position.56 Marriage and Family Cranston married first Mary Hart, the daughter of Thomas Hart and Freeborn Williams, and the granddaughter of Providence founder Roger Williams, with whom he had seven children.1 The year after Mary's death in 1710, Cranston married Judith (Parrott) Cranston, the widow of his younger brother Caleb.1 Death in OFfice Cranston died on April 26, 1727 in Newport, while still in office. He was buried in the Common Burial Ground in Newport, beside his father. A large and elaborate slate slab contains an inscription for himself and for his father, with a coat-of-arms in the middle of the top. He also has a governor's medallion in front of his grave. Rhode Island historian Samuel G. Arnold wrote of him, "The administration of Governor Cranston is remarkable for many reasons. He held his position probably longer than any other man who has ever been subjected to the test of an annual popular election. He was thirty times successively chosen governor, holding office till his death, in 1726 1727. His great firmness in seasons of unexampled trial, that occurred in the early part of his public life, is, perhaps, the key to his wonderful popularity..." References * Samuel Cranston - Wikipedia